A PhD period could be challenging, stressful and time-consuming. There are several PhD students reporting fatigue, exhaustion and lack of time. Sometimes, PhD is such a difficult period that even important things like well-being is “forgotten”, which should not. If looking to succeed in academic career, should understand that it is not all about research. Priorities should be placed and let health and fitness to be priorities in life too. The keyword here is fitness, because staying fit during the PhD studies, can make all the difference in the academic and mental well-being.
In general, exercising for at least 30 min a day will improve physical health, boost mental function and reduce stress. More specifically, exercising everyday can lead to a better quality of sleep, increasing the slow-wave, restorative sleep. This specific type of sleep is a critical component for learning and retaining new information, because it boosts memory reactivation and consolidation. Taking into consideration also the enhancement of the cognitive function, everyone can understand how useful exercise could be during a PhD.
Although it might sound counter-intuitive, exercise could also boost energy by increasing norepinephrine and serotonin. At the same time, PhD-life is full of setbacks and rebounding from them could be very difficult sometimes. However, what if understand that the solution to these problems is exercising? According to a study conducted by Princeton researchers, exercise could reduce stress and anxiety and improve mental resilience and perseverance by preventing stress-triggered neurons from firing. Moreover, arranging a personal or group training course after work will “force” to leave the office at the right time and avoid working for an extensive amount of time, which is very useful to maintain productivity at high levels. Talking about productivity, it is well-known that it is very important for PhD students due to the workload. So, it should also be highlighted that productivity could be increased by exercising, which makes people happier and staves off the slowdown of neurogenesis.
Yes, at a theoretical level that could work. Here are also two pieces of practical advice for researchers feel that their PhD is difficult and cannot find motivation to begin exercising. First, must understand that every PhD project is different and has its own difficulties, and everyone is facing its own problems. However, still there are many students out there who find time to combine their PhD with training or hobbies. After realizing this, the next step is to acknowledge the challenges of exercising and set some personal goals. For this reason, might have to consult an expert to find the kind of exercise that works for you and design an effective workout routine. Everyone is different, so do not expect that others’ training will also work for our own one. Instead, a training that is suitable for the individual needs should be chosen, considering physical abilities and preferences. Furthermore, should not overlook that consistency is the key to succeeding in exercising as everything in life. Scheduling workout like an appointment and keep it every time as possible could be the best practice. It is completely acceptable that during PhD, days are quite busy but should try to use a time mapping to free a couple of hours to dedicate to yourself. Finally, should always remember two things; a single workout can provide immediate benefits, but should aim for the long-term positive effects, and enjoying activities is the most important factor to stick with exercising in general.
To summarize, a PhD program is just another aspect of adult-life and as any other aspects of life, should also keep the balance with it. Don’t have to sacrifice health on the altar of a PhD success. As a result, exercising should become a part of daily routine and then will realize that exercising will not only help with physical health but also with mental health, improving performance during the PhD. Walking, running, jogging, swimming, cycling, personal training and team sports are some of possible choices, so let the excuses behind, choose your favorite one and start exercising!
By Christos Moutroupidis
References
Kelley, E. Staying Fit During Your Doctorate: Everything You Need to Know, Available online: https://www.phds.me/resources/fitness/ (accessed on 30 October 2024).
How To Stay Healthy While Finishing Your PhD, Available online: https://www.phdstudies.com/articles/how-to-stay-healthy-while-finishing-your-phd (accessed on 30 October 2024).
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